Winter Sunshine, Chartwell 

Winter Sunshine, Chartwell, painted by Winston Churchill, captures his estate blanketed in snow. Churchill took up painting relatively late in life, around the age of 40, as a means of coping with political setbacks and the stresses of leadership. This canvas shows a personal retreat, a space of solace for a man who navigated global conflicts. Churchill once said that "When I get to heaven I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting, and so get to the bottom of the subject.” Painting offered him an escape from the political arena, a space to explore his inner world. We see the influence of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in the broken brushstrokes and attention to light. Yet, this is no mere imitation. The emotional resonance of this painting lies in its depiction of domesticity, of a private world rendered in vibrant hues. It’s an intensely personal reflection of place and belonging, imbued with a sense of peace.